Friday, December 31, 2010

2010 ~ Au Revoir

Barring some seismic event this will be the last post of 2010. On a personal level it wasn't the worst year I've had to live through. I'm sure many however will think different.
Watching the events of the year I doubt many would have forecast the events at the end of the year, when Ireland effectively gave over it's sovereignty to the ECB and the IMF when they accepted an €85billion bailout while implementing austerity measures that will be to the detriment of many in the coming 12 months.
Not that it will bother the higher echelons of society much, the cosy little arrangement between government and banks means they will prosper into the future, while the ordinary people pay for them to continue on their merry way.
Considering they caused the whole mess in the first place, it defies belief and it is truly one of those times when we can say truth is stranger than fiction. When we watch from the outside in, politics and governments in general are stained now to the point that I for one hold them in no great regard any longer.
You live hoping for the promise leadership can bring to the world, the type that makes people want to get up in the morning, gives them a reason, even inspires, but corrupted by power and money, any virginal ethic any practitioner carries into the profession are quickly sold to serve those who serve themselves.

It says a lot about the state of the planet in the modern world when it's backwards we are going under a banner of Democracy and Capitalism. There are many worrying signs the world over that suggests we may be on the brink of a depression not seen since the late 1920's. It took a six year world war to get things moving again then, and war has served to keep certain areas of economics propped up handsomely in every decade since. The Americans are printing money furiously to just keep their heads above water and Obama's great promise now seems to be nothing more than election spiel. It's a tough arena and his hands were always tied. Change things the way the world needs and he runs a gauntlet I don't even want to write about here. Communism fell fast when it started to creak. Could democracy in it's present state do the same?

The Euro Zone is a mess. To many holes. To many thieves. To many suspicions. The Euro could crash this year and there are signs that China's bubble is inflating to a point where it could burst. Korea remains a volatile situation and Iran is also on the watchlist. A perfect storm?
What direction will we be lead then? Judging by the way they handled dissent in Dublin, London, Athens and Paris this year they intend to beat us into submission. Submission to what, is what I would like to know.
I read a great article from a website I found through a friend this year. (Thanks Michael) Are we headed for a dystopian state? I'm damn sure it won't happen here in Ireland. I do believe you can only push a people so far, and we Irish don't like being pushed. If it comes to light that we were robbed and sold by our own, the Irish people won't stand for that. I hope the election of 2011 gives us all something to think about and we use the chance to change toward the Ireland we want for our children. On our terms and under our conditions.

To me it's obvious what these external forces are after. The wealth that lies off our West Coast. Wikileaks exposed a document this week which only furthers my long held belief that it's our natural resources they are after. A true leader of this land would chuck them all out and renege our position in the EU. What they going to do? Look at us as a Rogue State? With the people we have at our disposal and the wealth of natural resource as well as beauty of land, we wouldn't be long sorting ourselves out and standing on our own two feet. With gombeens at the helm we stand no chance. Bertie Ahern announced yesterday he would not be contesting the next election, but would not rule out a run for the Presidency in 2012. I'm sorry, I admire the work done to bring a peace to our island, but you should not be the figure head of this country.

A few people left this absurd experience in 2010. J.D Salinger, Dennis Hopper and Miep Gies who all get the Booker Endorsement, my own personal honours list. Leslie Nielsen, Gary Colman and Tony Curtis also left, as did our own Gerry Ryan. Thanks for the memories.

The World Cup was the worst in living memory. I remember them all since 1982. I spent the Summer writing about it here, but found myself getting put off more and more from a game that used to border on an obsession.
Who knows maybe the Bear will win the Superbowl in February? Arsenal the Premiership in May?
We won the Ryder Cup and Ireland got a new superstar in Graham McDowell, who not only won the US Open, he sank the winning putt in the Ryder Cup, and took Tiger down the stretch and beat him. A breath of fresh air and a testament to what can be achieved if people have belief in themselves.

Work wise it's all been for no monetary gain. But one book, two novella's, a feature script and a web series has not been a bad output. Goals for 2011 include launching a few start-up's with an eye on doing something bigger and for the right reasons. Build on my writing to date, and if i really can stretch myself, maybe a first feature film, something manageable before embarking on the task of getting Thunder Alley made.
Crazy? You bet! :) ... and the blog, of course.
I'll Hopefully get out into the World a little bit more and 365 days from now, i'll sit here once again, and bitch and moan about how bad we got it next year. (Or this year if you're reading this five and a half hours from now)
Reality on this island could be a whole lot worse. We could be imprisoned for expression of views, starved like children in lands we rather not know anything about, or made disappear by sociopathic leaders who still find their way to power and treat people without mercy. But we're not. Ireland is still a paradise compared to most places, and a lot can be built on if we have the people to do it and they stand up for what is right in the long term and not just the tenure of their mandate.

Hopefully 2011 will be an extraordinary one and for the right reasons. So on a positive note, I wish you all a great, happy and safe 2011. As some dude or dudette once said, 'Life is what you make it.'
There's definitely something in that.

2010 ~ Au Revoir.

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